Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ thudded through The Oval Friday morning. It had been the headline-grabbing song of last Sunday’s halftime show. Now, it may as well be the anthem of Super Bowl LIX, because at their victory parade, Philadelphia proved there’s no one quite like Eagles fans.
With a crowd bolstered by school students who were given the day off, over one million Eagles supporters flocked to the city center Friday as five miles of parade route transformed into an exultant celebration of Philadelphia’s culture – for better and for worse.
‘I bleed for this city,’ Howie Roseman declared from atop the city’s iconic ‘Rocky’ Steps. The Eagles general manager had taken a beer can to the forehead. But based on the unruly scenes across the City of Brotherly Love, most Eagles fans would do the same – if not more.
They’d bleed, sweat, cry and, most importantly, camp out almost 24 hours in advance to ensure they had the perfect view of Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts hoisting the Lombardi Trophy outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
A handful of supporters had begun gathering in The Oval on Thursday night in preparation of their world champions. Some even arrived at as early 3pm Thursday – 20 hours before the parade left Lincoln Financial Field.
By 8:30am, in typical Philly fashion, others had already climbed the trees lining the route, which proceeded up Broad Street to City Hall before heading west on to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The Philadelphia Eagles celebrated their Super Bowl success with a huge parade in the city
Thousands of fans camped out on Thursday night to get a spot in front of the ‘Rocky’ statue
By then the overnight campers had long crawled out of their igloo-style tents, having smugly grabbed their front row seat while the latecomers toiled their way along Broad Street.
The Philly faithful could already be seen clutching bottles of champagne, whiskey and even Chambord as they followed the river of green around City Hall.
‘This is the best day ever,’ one kid cried out among the throng of fans towering over him. It was only 8am.
If they weren’t amidst the battle of Broad Street, every pair of eyes was glued to one of the Jumbotrons playing a repeat of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX dominance of the Kansas City Chiefs. The cheers for Cooper DeJean’s Pick Six were just as electric as Sunday night.
There was a strong police presence along the route, but even they were puffing on celebratory cigars.
Then there was perhaps no greater testament to Philadelphia’s fidelity to its sports teams than the couple who exchanged their vows on the parade route, or another who decided the Super Bowl parade was the befitting moment to announce their pregnancy.
As fans told DailyMail.com, it was a festival of love befitting of the City of Brotherly Love on none other than Valentine’s Day.
‘It’s electric. It’s love. It’s indescribable,’ one Philadelphia native, who had traveled all the way from England, described. He’d begun planning his trans-Atlantic trip after the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The parade completed a whirlwind few weeks for the Eagles and head coach Nick Sirianni
Despite pleas from the city not to, fans climbed up trees and poles to get the best view possible
Meanwhile, Drexler students Mackenzie Fusco, Francesca Catalano and Evelin Clot had set up camp at the bottom of the ‘Rocky’ Steps since 11:30pm the previous night despite the risk of snow.
‘You never see a city come together like this,’ Evelin said. ‘Look at all the people who are here. We’ve made friends camping out. It’s amazing to see everybody come together as a community. It feels like home.’
However, many rival fans will fail to reconcile themselves with the friendly side of Philadelphia’s fanbase. The Philly faithful are epitomized by their notorious, foul-mouthed and rabid support.
However, Evelin hit back at their rivals, insisting: ‘If you’re in it, you get it. If you’re not, you don’t.
‘It is the City of Brotherly Love, and if you don’t root for the Eagles, the Sixers, the Phillies, the Flyers, the Union, you’re not in the Brotherhood.
‘People sometimes make decisions that don’t reflect the entirety of the Philadelphia fanbase. When they look at us, they only see the bad things. We’re a city that loves each other. You can hate on us all you like, but we don’t care.’
While it may only be the minority twisting the reputation of the City of Brotherly Love into one of hate, said bad decisions began flooding in thick and fast.
Despite desperate pleas from Mayor Cherelle Parker, the brave-hearted fools among the swarm of Eagles jerseys began their treacherous pole-climbing pilgrimages mid-morning.
Over a million people are thought to have lined the streets of Philadelphia in celebration
Eagles legend Jason Kelce divided opinion with his appearance at his former team’s parade
The first siren could be heard echoing across The Oval at around 11:30. The inaugural firework had whistled into the air long before then, the sound ricocheting from within the million-strong crowd.
From mere meters away, the brass sound instilled the fear of a gunshot for a fleeting moment. Sadly, the real gunshots were yet to come.
Two women, ages 20 and 27, were shot at the parade following an argument. Police said the shooting unfolded near the 2300 block of Ben Franklin Parkway – half a mile from where Eagles players celebrated their win.
The news broke just after Jalen Hurts and co had taken to their stage at the Philadelphia Musuem of Art after receiving a raucous and boozy hero’s welcome.
Hurts puffed on a cigar atop the open-top double decker along the parade route.
Saquon Barkley, along with many other players, hopped off the buses to walk along the parade route and exchange high-fives with fans who pressed against teetering barricades.
A few rowdy fans lobbed beer cans to players, resulting in the wayward throw that caused Roseman to ‘bleed for the city.’
Even Eagles legend Jason Kelce made a cameo, joining the party having already made a start on the beers.
Officials in the City of Brotherly Love said that two women, both in their 20s, had been shot in the legs near the parade by an unknown man
Upwards of one million people were expected to descend on Philadelphia for the celebrations on Friday
The Eagles’ alcohol-fueled oration that followed was a fitting tribute to their fanbase. Some may say a true reflection.
Jordan Mailata led a rousing rendition of ‘We Are The Champions,’ Reed Blankenship and DeJean – dubbed the ‘Exciting Whites’ – broke into Meek Mills’ ‘Dreams and Nightmares,’ while AJ Brown let out an incredibly slurred, ‘Adrian,’ in a nod to the Rocky films.
But it was veteran Brandon Graham, whose future hangs in the balance, that best captured the essence of Philadelphia.
‘I’m so happy you didn’t have to go through a nail-biter game,’ the veteran defensive end said. ‘It’s about us being gritty. We’re going to stay gritty.’
Graham, who has spent 15 seasons in Philadelphia, was of course referring to the Eagles’ 40-22 demolition of back-to-back champions Kansas City in New Orleans.
And, after denying the Chiefs a historic ‘three-peat,’ the Philly faithful seized the opportunity to rub salt in the wound.
One group of fans were pictured with a hog roast that had a wig on its head and the number 15 seared into its side – the number worn by the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman suffered a nasty cut on his head after a can of beer struck him
Elsewhere, a coffin was seen carried through the massive crowds with ‘RIP Chiefs’ emblazoned across it.
Chants of ‘F*** the Chiefs,’ were just as frequent as Philadelphia’s classic ‘E-A-G-L-E-S,’ or its traditional ballad of the victory song.
Signs hailing the Eagles as ‘Dynasty Deniers,’ and ‘Dynasty Destroyers’ punctuated the sea of green. While self-proclaimed, it’s a title they have every right to.
‘There’s no place like Philly,’ a banner on a plane read as it streaked over the booze-fueled, expletive-laden adresses. For better or for worse, Philadelphia’s toast to its Super Bowl heroes proved that to be true Friday. After all, the Lombardi Trophy’s not in Kansas City anymore.
